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Thomas Bishop
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Thomas A. Bishop is a judge trial referee of the Superior Court of Connecticut.[1] He was a judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court. He was appointed to that position by Governor John Rowland on November 20, 2001 and took office in December. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in December of 2011 and automatically became a judge trial referee (also known as a "state referee").[2][3][4]
Education
Bishop received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Notre Dame in 1963. He received his (J.D.), in 1969, from Georgetown Law School. He has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Connecticut School of Law for many years.[2]
Career
Thomas Bishop worked as a private practice attorney until his appointment to the superior court. He was the managing director of a New London law firm from 1989 to 1994. During that time, he also served as an attorney trial referee and special master in the New London, Middlesex and New Haven judicial districts. Bishop was appointed to the superior court in September of 1994. He was appointed to the Criminal Justice Commission in 2001. He was appointed to the Connecticut Appellate Court the same year.[2]
Notable case
Michael Skakel's murder conviction overturned after 38 years
Judge Bishop reversed the murder conviction of Michael Skakel on October 23, 2013, saying that the defense attorney had not adequately represented his client. Skakel had been convicted of the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley in 2002.
The night before Halloween, 1975, the fifteen-year-old Moxley was murdered with a 6-iron golf club that reportedly belonged to Skakel's mother. She was found to have been beaten with the club, then stabbed with it after it had broke in half. The case drew much media attention and various suspects were listed. Skakel was Moxley's neighbor at the time of the murder. However, he was not convicted until 27 years later. In 2000, a friend of Skakel's contacted authorities, saying that Skakel had confessed to him. Two years later, Skakel was sentenced to 20 years to life, though he maintained his innocence.
Judge Bishop reopened the case in 2013, issuing a 136-page decision that outlined numerous mistakes made by Skakel's attorney, Michael Sherman. For one, the judge explained that there were suspicious facts regarding Michael Skakel's brother, Thomas, which Sherman never mentioned. Additionally, Bishop pointed out that Sherman: 1) allowed a police officer who was friends with the lead investigator in the case onto the jury, 2) failed to defend his client's alibi, 3) didn't argue against incriminating testimony by Skakel's schoolmates who said that Skakel had confessed to them, and 3) didn't prepare a well-crafted closing argument.
Judge Bishop wrote:
| “ | The defense of a serious felony prosecution requires attention to detail, an energetic investigation and a coherent plan of defense...Trial counsel’s failures in each of these areas of representation were significant and, ultimately, fatal to a constitutionally adequate defense. As a consequence of trial counsel’s failures as stated, the state procured a judgment of conviction that lacks reliability.[5][6] | ” |
Some, such as Martha Moxley's mother, still believe Skakel to be guilty.[7]
On November 21, Skakel was released from prison on bail. State prosecutors are appealing his right to a new trial, and if they're successful, Skakel could be retried or sent back to prison without a trial.[8]
Conviction reinstated by supreme court
On December 30, 2016, the Connecticut Supreme Court reinstated Skakel's murder conviction.[9]
See also
External links
- Biography of Thomas Bishop
- NBC News, "Michael Skakel, a Kennedy cousin, freed on $1.2 million bond," November 21, 2013
Footnotes
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Judicial Department, State Courts, State Referees," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bishop biography
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State: Judicial Department
- ↑ The CT Mirror, "Malloy nominates two judges to appellate and trial courts," October 20, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ The New York Times, "Skakel Gets New Trial in ’75 Killing of Teenager in Connecticut," October 23, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Judge overturns Michael Skakel's murder conviction," October 23, 2013
- ↑ Today News, "Michael Skakel's attorney: 'A great weight has been lifted'," November 22, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "Michael Skakel’s Murder Conviction Has Been Reinstated," December 30, 2016
Federal courts:
Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Connecticut • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Connecticut
State courts:
Connecticut Supreme Court • Connecticut Appellate Court • Connecticut Superior Court • Connecticut Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in Connecticut • Connecticut judicial elections • Judicial selection in Connecticut